Asterisk Lichen vs Coastal wattle

Arthonia radiata compared with Acacia cyclops

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Asterisk Lichen	Coastal wattle
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Arthoniomycetes (Arthoniomycetes)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Arthoniales (Arthoniales)	Fabales (Legumes & Allies)
Family	Arthoniaceae	Fabaceae
Genus	Arthonia	Acacia
Species	Arthonia radiata	Acacia cyclops

Conservation Status

Asterisk Lichen

LC — Least Concern

Coastal wattle

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Asterisk Lichen	Coastal wattle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Asterisk Lichen

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America and South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia).

Coastal wattle

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 8 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (13 countries), Asia (Israel), Europe (4 countries), and North America (United States).

Asterisk Lichen

The Asterisk Lichen (Arthonia radiata) is a species in the genus Arthonia. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Native to Europe and North America and South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region. Widely distributed across Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia).

Coastal wattle

Coastal wattle (Acacia cyclops) is a dense, fast-growing shrub in the family Fabaceae, native to the southwestern and southern coastal regions of Western Australia, from Shark Bay south to the Nullarbor Plain. It grows on coastal dunes, sandy scrubland, and limestone substrates near the sea, where it tolerates salt spray, wind, and summer drought. Coastal wattle produces distinctive circular seeds with bright red arillate coatings, making them highly attractive to birds. Although valued in its native range for coastal stabilisation and revegetation, the species has become highly invasive in southern Africa, particularly South Africa, where it was introduced for dune stabilisation in the 19th century and has since spread extensively across the Cape Floristic Region, displacing native fynbos vegetation. It is listed among the 100 worst invasive species globally by the IUCN Invasive Species Specialist Group. In Australia, it is assessed as Least Concern. Management of invasive populations in South Africa involves mechanical removal and biological control efforts aimed at protecting the critically threatened fynbos biome.